Chambersburg's map for the future caters to cars

There are no sidewalks leading to the Day Reporting Center. "As Loudon Street now exists there is no pedestrian consideration," Larry Lahr said, "and the higher speed and higher volume as proposed also would be negative to the pedestrian experience."

CHAMBERSBURG &GT;&GT; Chambersburg officials have drawn up a road map to the borough's future, and some residents want to know what planners have in mind:

A place where cars whizz by, or a town where people safely walk the streets?

The borough's Official Map outlines 16 road projects, most of them extensions of existing roads.

"The most important thing in the borough is walkability, not these single-purpose roads that for the most part the borough doesn't have jurisdiction over," said Lawrence Lahr, a borough resident and professional planner. "They are defiant to the primary goals of planning in the borough."

Borough council hosts a public hearing about the Official Map at 7 p.m. on Aug. 25 as part of regular council meeting in chambers at 100 S. Second St.

The Official Map dusts off two proposals from more than 15 years ago:

* Make Loudon Street one-way eastbound. Business owners had opposed a similar proposal about 20 years ago.

* Widen Lincoln Way East from Walker Road to the East Point. The proposal was initially part of widening of U.S. 30 in Guilford Township, but proved too expensive.

The two ideas date from an era when professional engineers designed official maps with the goal of improving traffic flow, according to Lahr. More lanes encourage higher speeds, more traffic and a temptation to jockey from lane to lane. The trend today is to slow down traffic in respect to pedestrians.

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"As Loudon Street now exists there is no pedestrian consideration," Lahr said, "and the higher speed and higher volume as proposed also would be negative to the pedestrian experience."

An Official Map aims to direct growth and redevelopment. Streets, watercourses and public grounds on the Official Map may be reserved for future taking, according to the state planning code. An Official Map does not obligate a municipality to open streets or to take lands. Reserving the land as public ground lapses one year after a property owner gives notice of his or her intent to build or develop, if the municipality fails to acquire the property or start condemnation.

"An Official Map is sort of a wish list for improvements that the town hopes someday somebody might make," Chambersburg Borough Manager Jeffrey Stonehill said. "We try to avoid anything that is too far fetched or too impossible. It is also not attempt to solve all the town's transportation issues. They are almost always used to explain to developers our desired future improvements and to help in the application of state grants."

Lahr said that the borough is emphasizing vehicles, "not unlike many sprawling townships who do not enjoy the elements of a built-up municipality — parks, playgrounds, open space reservations, pedestrian ways, bike paths, alleys, etc."

The map does not identify public spaces and pedestrian walkways as suggested in the state Municipalities Planning Code.

Lahr said that the proposed map loses sight of a goal in the borough's Future Transportation Plan — reducing the need for automobiles. "Emphasis should be placed on giving people the option of walking, biking and using public transit in addition to driving," according to the transportation plan.

Instead the Official Map suggests extending existing roads, which according to Lahr, would intrude on the borough's residential neighborhoods and open up hundreds of acres to development in Greene Township.

One proposal would extend Commerce Street at Philadelphia Avenue to Norland Avenue at the railroad bridge. A local street paralleling Broad Street would channel traffic from the Norland Avenue shopping area to Hamilton Township, according to Lahr.

"The rear of those established, predominantly residential properties fronting Broad Street would be totally intruded upon for no discernible reason," he said. "There is no private sector initiative or motivation to build this proposal."

The intersection at Norland Avenue between Scotland Avenue and the active railroad bridge also would be "overwhelmingly complicated," he said.

Another proposal would extend Parkwood Drive to Grand Point Road in Greene Township, with connections from St. Paul Drive extended and Fifth Avenue extended. Both the borough and township have been working to extend Parkwood, but there's been no money for the local road project.

Lahr cautioned that the wide roads in the Parkwood area encourage speeds that are inappropriate for homes and offices. The borough should coordinate land use forecasts and traffic calming measures with Greene Township before bringing more traffic into the borough.

Neither Greene nor Hamilton townships have submitted comments on the borough's Official Map.

Stonehill is encouraging borough council to adopt the proposed ordinance as is, so as not "to put Chambersburg at a disadvantage in discussions with developers, regional planners and for grant opportunities." The document can be amended.

The Chambersburg Planning and Zoning Commission has recommended that council adopt the Official Map, Stonehill said.

"For the last two years, through countless presentations and meetings, staff has attempted to go from no plan to our first plan," Stonehill said. "Not perfect, it will inevitably be changed many times in the future."

Adding pedestrian and bicycle trails is already underway, he said. Reactions to development plans in neighboring townships can be added.

Lahr wants council to consider pedestrian transportation right off the bat, rather than amend the map later.

Lahr is a consultant to neighboring Guilford Township and helped develop the township's Official Map. He is an entrepreneur in downtown Chambersburg.

"I don't want to be a gadfly," he said. "I thought since I'm in the industry I owe it to the community to at least share my thoughts."

Other parts of the Official Map propose:

* Change the traffic pattern on U.S. 11 at the south end of the borough. Garfield Street would become two-way. Derbyshire Street would become one-way and funnel northbound traffic onto South Second Street.

* Extend Epic Drive from Kennebec Drive through the Bender farm and back to Stouffer Avenue near U.S. 30 and "within 100 feet of the busiest intersection in Franklin County," according to Lahr.

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